Breathe/Transcript
Sherlock Holmes: Sorry. I was, uh, I was taking some measurements. I'm reexamining a suspicious hunting accident in Georgia's Oaky Woods in 1933. Joan Watson: Yeah, I figured. But the murder took place in the woods, so what's with the dollhouse? I mean, you only use this to restage crime scenes. Holmes: Well, I did, but you'll notice it is a house of horrors no more. I removed all of the dead dolls and cleaned up all of the blood and viscera. Watson: Okay. Holmes: Thought it might make a good impression to have it on display during your home visit tomorrow. As opposed to the bear trap, which I will store posthaste. Watson: Thank you, on both parts. But the caseworker is just coming here to discuss plans to, you know, make the house more baby-friendly. So there's really no need to put out toys. Holmes: Still, no harm, is there? We'll have to do something about those. Watson: What, the locks? Holmes: No, the grids they're hanging on. A curious infant could pull them down upon himself, no? Watson: Yeah, I guess. You know, I think we're mainly gonna talk about child-proof locks for the cabinets and drawers, you know, things like that. Holmes: Well, it's funny you should mention that, because I've been reviewing those products, and I find them all lacking. I think any child raised in this home would be able to circumvent such measures in no time, don't you? Watson (phone): Hey, Marcus. We'll be right there. Detective Bell: Victim's name is Leland Frisk, head of Frisk Relocations, Inc. Say your company's opening a new office in another state or transferring an employee from one city to another. Guy like this arranges housing, family cars, new schools for the kids. Cleaning crew found him. MLI puts the time of death between 8:00 and 10:00. Holmes: Sciacchetra. Bell: Like "Chaka Khan." Holmes: Is that also a wine? Bell: No. Holmes: Sciacchetra is a dessert wine, produced exclusively in Italy's Cinque Terre. It's not terribly common in the States, but it's not impossible to find. Its aromatic notes should include honey, dried fruit. What it should not smell like is almonds. Watson: Someone laced it with cyanide. Holmes: Presumably not the victim, or else you wouldn't have asked us here. Bell: Along with the vomit around the victim's mouth, one of the glasses back there was wet. It was the only one that matched the glass Frisk drank from, so CSU dusted it for prints. Thanks. Uh, looks like someone tried to wipe it clean, but we managed to lift two partials. So we're gonna run 'em, see what we get. Watson: So Frisk probably knew the killer. He or she brought their own glasses. Bell: After Frisk was dead, they emptied theirs, put it back on the bar. Watson: Cyanide poisoning is a painful way to go. Every muscle in the body seizes up, and the victim dies of cardiac arrest. Do you have any idea why someone would want a relocation expert dead? Bell: There's more to show you out here. And it might change the way you think about Mr. Frisk. Bell: The doorjamb's busted. Watson: So someone broke in here after Frisk was dead, looking for something. Bell: Check out what's in these files. 'Cause they are not what you'd expect from a relocation expert. Watson: Well, I'm guessing that's not this guy's wife. Holmes: And this man is not a licensed pharmacist. Bell: If you ask me, it looks like Leland Frisk was a serial blackmailer. Could be one of his clients had enough, decided to get out from under his thumb, they poisoned him, then busted in here, took what he had on them. Holmes: I disagree. A lot of the names on these files are familiar to me from news stories over the years. Each one of them was, at one time or another, suspected of having a business rival or another inconvenience assassinated. None was ever charged. I don't think Frisk was a blackmailer. At least not primarily. I think those files are insurance policies. To dissuade his clients from betraying him. Watson: Most of those have something to do with relocation work, but a lot of them contain blackmail information dating back to the '80s. Bell: Which means... Holmes: The dead man in that room is one of the most prolific contract killers in history. Holmes: This is Byron Pruitt, CEO of Lake Huron Canning. He was questioned in 2004 about the disappearance of his mistress, Noreen Cullen. This is Rueben Del Mar the Fourth, heir to Utah's Del Mar Auto Service empire. He was long suspected of ordering the murder of his father, Rueben Del Mar the Third. And the list goes on. Captain Gregson: And you think Frisk pulled off all these hits under the cover of a relocation business? Watson: Most of his work was for corporate bigwigs, so it was the perfect front. He got paid on the company's books as a short-term contractor, and he had reason to travel wherever he needed. So, Marcus has been reaching out to law enforcement in these cities all morning. Now, these files may not be enough to convict in every case, but now that police can connect these people with Frisk, and we know how he got paid, it could help close a lot of cases. Holmes: That's the Incubus. It's a suffocation device. You place it over the victim's nose and mouth, pull out the plunger. Forms a vacuum seal, suck all the air out of their lungs. It's quick, and it's quiet. Gregson: And it leaves no evidence of a murder weapon. Well, at most, a subtle ring of, uh, broken blood vessels around the mouth, but, um, if the bruises are detected, most M.E.'s don't know what to make of them. Gregson: Okay. So, who do we think hit the hit man? Watson: Well, Frisk's files were numbered, so we know that one of them was missing. We figure the killer took his or her own so that it couldn't be used against them. Holmes: We got the name of Frisk's assistant from his building manager. Marcus and I are going to pay her a visit. Hopefully she'll be able to identify which file is missing. Gregson: And you? Watson: One of the people that Marcus spoke to was an FBI agent who works out of the New York field office. She's been working two of the murders. She's on her way here. I figured I'd stick around and talk to her with you. Agent Kerner: This is amazing. I was only ever onto two of these, and I wasn't even sure it was the same guy. Gregson: How did you connect the two you were onto? Kerner: This guy here, Pat Mercer, he ran a dirty hedge fund. About a year ago, one of his analysts turned whistleblower, and right after she did, she was shot dead on the street near her home. Looked like a robbery, but she was cooperating in a federal case, so it landed on my desk. Witness reported seeing a tall, Caucasian male with a goatee hurrying away about half a block from the scene. Watson: That describes Leland Frisk. Kerner: Obviously not a lot to go on. Till about three months ago. Gordon Harper was forcing a hostile buyout of a small chemical company when its president supposedly took a leap out a 40th-floor window. Detective in the 16th gave me a heads-up. People there recall an unfamiliar janitor there that day. Gregson: A tall, Caucasian male with a goatee. So Frisk manages to stay a ghost for over 30 years, then he's spotted twice in nine months. Just an old hit man finally slowing down? Kerner: Good a guess as any. Whatever it was, I have something to run with now. Enough to put the screws to both Mercer and Harper. Funny thing is, I was just starting to look at the books of both companies for any commonalities. You gotta think I would've come across this relocation service eventually. Watson: Maybe that explains the timing of Frisk's murder. One of his clients became aware of the investigation, and knew that Frisk could use his blackmail files to take them down with him. Gregson: We're gonna need the names of anyone who knew what you were onto. Anyone in your office, anyone you interviewed at those companies. Kerner: You're thinking my investigation tipped Frisk's killer? If it did, I'll sleep fine. That guy had decades of blood on his hands. Gregson: Trust me, no one's shedding a tear for Leland Frisk. But whoever killed him has hired a hit man at least once, and murdered him. I'd say he's one more person we need to get off the streets. Wouldn't you? Kerner: I'll get you a list. Bell: Sherry Lennox? Marcus Bell, NYPD. This is my colleague, Mr. Holmes. You work for Leland Frisk, is that right? Sherry Lennox: I was just about to leave for work. Did something happen? None of this makes any sense. Leland helped situate people who were moving to new cities. He wasn't an assassin. Bell: Respectfully, Miss Lennox, we're pretty sure he was. You're telling us you had no idea? Lennox: If I had, do you really think that I would have kept working for him? Holmes: Can you tell us your whereabouts last night between 8:00 and 10:00? Lennox: My son and I were at my sister's in Marlboro. I'll give you her info. I promise, you're not gonna find anything about murders for money on there. Bell: We just want to see your copies of Mr. Frisk's files. We think the killer took one from the scene. So, if we can spot a client name that's in your data that wasn't at the office, there's a good chance that client's our killer. Holmes: How long have you worked for Mr. Frisk? Lennox: Oh, God, um over 15 years. Holmes: Did you interact much with his clients? Lennox: It varied. I mostly arranged his travel, paid the bills. I spoke to some of the clients on the phone, but others, he gave them his direct number. I just assumed that they were, you know, VIPs. People he wanted to give more personal attention. Holmes: You might be right about that. Bell: I'm guessing one of the clients' names was Cal Medina? He's been in the news a few times. Owns a drug company that's gotten heat for its practices. Holmes: I'm familiar with the name, but he doesn't develop new drugs. He simply buys the rights to existing, much needed ones and jacks up their prices. Bell: Medina's name is in your client list, but it wasn't in the info at the office. I'd have noticed it. Lennox: Uh, Leland did some work for him back in 2014, I think. He was one of the clients that Leland handled personally. Do you think he killed Leland? Watson (phone): Hi, Marybeth. It's Joan Watson. Yes, I was just wondering if we were still doing the home visit today. You were supposed to be here about 30 minutes ago. Well, there must be some mistake. Well, either way, can we reschedule? What do you mean, "no"? Bodyguard: Who's she? Bell: It's all right. She's with us. Watson: Bodyguards? So that answers my question, "You meant that Cal Medina". Bell: Yeah, since he's been in the news, he's gotten a lot of death threats. I'd surround myself with security, too. Watson: Yeah. Only you wouldn't have to, because you wouldn't try to get rich by exploiting sick people. Cal Medina: I've never even heard of Leland Frisk, let alone hired him to commit murder. The words sound laughable coming out of my mouth. Bell: Actually, I agree. Denying you knew him does sound silly, because we found a fingerprint at the scene of his murder that matches one of yours we lifted off a coffee mug from your office. Medina: You've been to my office? Bell: Yeah. Your employees were super nice. I got the sense they don't like you any more than the public does. Medina: So, then this is all based on a fingerprint you obtained with the help of people who hate me. Holmes: Actually, it's not just a fingerprint. Not anymore. You'll also have to explain this. Bell: Sciacchetra. It's the same wine used to poison Frisk. Holmes: Also the same producer and batch number as the bottle that we found at the scene. Mr. Medina has a case of it. So, is it a personal favorite? I hear it can be cloying. Medina: This murder you're trying to pin on me, when did it happen? Bell: Last night, between 8:00 and 10:00. Medina: Good. I was here. Watson: And if we said "two nights ago, between 11:00 and midnight"? Medina: First rule of negotiating. "He who speaks first loses." I was here entertaining a guest last night. And though I can tell you don't believe me, you'll have a much harder time ignoring her. Holmes: Assemblywoman Liz Kirkland is one of the few politicians in the state whose polls consistently rank her as trustworthy and likable. Bell: She backed Medina's story. Said she was with him all night. Watson: You don't believe her. Holmes: Considering the money his company's given her campaigns, she's in both Medina's pocket and his pants. Makes sense she'd lie for him. Bell: Still, she makes a good witness. I also got a text from the lab while I was in there. Turns out the second partial print on that wine glass isn't a match for Medina. Watson: That's not necessarily a surprise, right? You guys are still running elimination prints. Could turn out to be someone on the building's cleaning staff. Bell: Don't get me wrong. Medina makes my skin crawl. But a second fingerprint and Ms. Kirkland's testimony? No way will the D.A. want to take this to court. Holmes: Then we'll just have to get him for the other murder he had a hand in. The one he hired Leland Frisk to commit in 2014. Watson: We don't even know who the victim was. Holmes: We don't know who the victim was yet. Watson: You're suggesting that we identify, and then solve an unknown murder that an expert hit man got away with four years ago. Holmes: I am. Yeah. Watson: That is from Marybeth, my caseworker. The agency is rejecting my application for adoption. Gary: Why? Watson: Because I missed two appointments. The home visit that I thought was yesterday and a parenting class last week. They said that it shows I don't care enough about this. Gary: All right. Not ideal, but we'll put together a new list of agencies and start over. Learn from our mistakes and move on. Watson: "Learn from our mistakes"? Gary, these were your mistakes, not mine. You're managing the schedule. You gave me the wrong date for the home visit, and you never even told me about the class. Gary: Whoa, whoa, Joan. You're a busy woman. We both knew that going in. Watson: What is that supposed to mean? Gary: No, it, it means that you can't really say who's to blame for this. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to stay on top of things. If you didn't trust me, you should have confirmed the dates directly with the agency. Watson: I did trust you. Check your notes. See what they say right now. Gary: No. Joan, I'm sorry. That's not how it works. I'm not gonna pull an assistant off other important work to dig out your notes while you sit here and wait. You're not our only client. Watson: And besides, depending on what it says, you might need a chance to cover yourself. Listen, Gary, I don't want to sue you. Okay, I just want you to call the agency and tell them that these were your mistakes. Keep them from dropping me. Make this right. Gary: I will make it right, by helping you start over. Joan, it's a difference of a few months. You've waited this long. It's not the end of the world. Watson: First, dollhouses, now Mystery Date. Are we having a sleepover? Holmes: Unlike our typical usage of Mr. Silhouette, today he is employed in the role of victim rather than killer. It is an interesting challenge. How does one solve a murder that one can only know happened through inference? Cal Medina hired contract killer Leland Frisk. Ipso facto, there must be someone Medina wanted Frisk to kill. I would include the possibility that Frisk failed, but given his track record and the efforts that Medina went to to eliminate evidence, I think we can rule that one out. Watson: "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 18th through the 20th, 2014." Holmes: The place and window of time in which our mystery murder occurred. The records that Marcus and I were able to obtain from Frisk's assistant, Miss Lennox, included his travel while under Medina's employ. Watson: So you're reconstructing what he was doing then so you can figure out who he wanted dead. Holmes: Precisely. I take it you're familiar with the term, "orphan diseases"? Watson: Uh, yeah. They're conditions that only affect a small number of people, so there's not a lot of money to be made in treating them. They're called "orphans" because no one wants to take responsibility for them. Holmes: Even the name is Dickensian, which I suppose gives it points for honesty. If corporate America had its way, we'd only take care of our sick when there was money in it. It is repugnant. And being a walking embodiment of that repugnance, Cal Medina found himself a niche in orphan drugs, aka the medicines used to treat orphan diseases. In the summer of 2014, Medina's company, Calculus Pharmaceutical, acquired the rights to trifloxazole, an antibiotic used for chronic bacterial infections associated with cystic fibrosis. Watson: I remember this. Back then, it was cheap and readily available. Holmes: Which enabled Medina to buy low. Watson: But after he bought the rights, he raised the price to almost $1,000 a pill. You're right, it's gross. Cystic fibrosis is genetic. I mean, children are born with it. They spend their whole lives vulnerable to infection. They don't have a choice. They need the drug. Holmes: Which is why enough people still buy the drug at that price to make it profitable. And if you can't afford hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in medicine, well, you just shouldn't have been born sick, should you? Now, the question is, did anyone need killing in order to facilitate Medina's profits? Thus far, I've only identified that as the most promising area in which to look. Marcus, meanwhile, is assembling a list of deaths, suspicious or otherwise, in Pittsburgh during the dates in question. I've also yet to determine why you didn't tell me about your home visit being canceled. Your caseworker, Marybeth, she applies her eau de toilette with a heavy hand. She didn't come here yesterday. So, is something wrong? Holmes: Of course I know the fault lies with your lawyer and not you. I know you too well to imagine otherwise. Watson: Well, the problem is, it's "he said, she said." And the adoption agency has been working with Gary for a long time, so they're gonna believe him. And if he's worried about me suing him, he's had plenty of time to change his notes so that everything looks right. Holmes: I don't understand why you were so hesitant to tell me. Watson: Because I know you. You're gonna want to go nuclear on the guy, and I haven't even decided what I want to do yet. Holmes: What's to decide? Watson: We're us. If we wanted to, we could break into his place, and then find proof that he was at fault, and then share it with the agency. Holmes: So far, so good. Watson: If we hurt his reputation, we could hurt his other clients, and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that. Maybe I can live with being set back a few months. Holmes: It's not just that you haven't decided what you want to do. You didn't trust that I'd follow your lead. Watson: No, it's not..look, when I told you I was going to adopt, I promised you that I was gonna do it by myself. But then you were talking the other night about getting the house ready, and it sounded like you felt you needed to co-parent. And I don't want you to feel that kind of pressure. Holmes: 'Cause I do so poorly in high-pressure situations? Watson: This is gonna change things for me a lot. But if I feel like it's gonna change too much for you, then I'm worried I'm not gonna go through with this. And I, I want to go through with this. Does that make any sense? Holmes: I will abide by your wishes with Gary, whatever they may be. Even if it's for me to stay out of it. Bell: Just you? Holmes: Yeah. You got something on that name I asked you to look up? Bell: Peter Romano? You're thinking that's the guy Medina had Leland Frisk kill? Holmes: Peter Romano was a researcher working in the area of cystic fibrosis. In early 2014, he claimed he'd identified a new treatment for the same bacterial infection that Cal Medina was about to corner the market on. But Romano never lived to publish what he'd found. Instead, whilst attending a medical conference in Pittsburgh that September, he was found dead in his hotel room. Bell: Well, I reached out to Pittsburgh PD. According to them, the cause of death was accidental asphyxiation. Romano had ordered room service. The M.E. found french fries lodged in his windpipe, and there was no sign of foul play. Now, the case detective gave me his number, said you could call him if you needed anything. Holmes: Won't be necessary. The M.E. got it wrong. Bell: That was quick. Holmes: Peter Romano was suffocated first. The french fries were jammed down his throat postmortem. It's very, very subtle, but note the bruising around his mouth. Bell: That's the mark left by that weird weapon Frisk had at the office. The Incubus? You were right. Peter Romano was assassinated. Lunch Guest: Shouldn't affect the third quarter. Holmes: This is the man that you hired Leland Frisk to kill. Bell: His name was Peter Romano. Romano had developed a new treatment for cystic fibrosis. If he'd lived to share it, no one would have to pay the thousand bucks a pill for your drug, and you'd be out of luck. Medina: Uh, pardon us, will you? I want you both to remember my face right now. I want you to remember me memorizing your badge number. Bell: Well, you're welcome to it. I told you my name before, too, but you probably weren't listening. It's Marcus Bell. Medina: And I'm going to call my lawyer and have him destroy you both. Holmes: I see your sommelier is changing the wine glasses. Did you ask him to do that? Medina: Are you joking? Is that what you care about, our table service? Holmes: Well, it's long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important. Just humor me, did you? Medina: They brought us Chardonnay glasses, and we are drinking Pinot Noir. Why does it matter? Holmes: Well, I'm not sure that it does. Before you run us out of town, could you give us a list of the restaurants that you frequent? Gregson: What am I supposed to see here? Holmes: Uh, among other things, more appropriate glasses for Sciacchetra than the ones used to poison Leland Frisk. Watson: Frisk's office had dessert wine glasses, but whoever poured the Sciacchetra used standard ones instead. Holmes: Cal Medina is, amongst other things, a wine snob. He would never have stood for the use of such glasses. Gregson: You ever consider maybe Frisk picked the glasses, and seeing as Medina was there to kill the guy, he just kept his mouth shut? Holmes: You ask that because you haven't met Cal Medina. Bell: That said, we did consider it. And we think the truth goes even farther. We don't think Medina was there at all. Watson: We found out who the other print on the glass belongs to. It was a waitress from one of Medina's regular spots. The glass we found at Frisk's office was stolen from that restaurant, with Medina's prints on it. Holmes: In other words, Medina has an alibi for Frisk's murder because he was framed. Gregson: By who? Bell: This is security video from that restaurant, taken three days before Frisk's murder. That's Medina in the top left. The waitress clears the glasses from his table and brings them to a bussing station. Gregson: That's the victim, Frisk. Holmes: It is. Gregson: You're saying the hit man, Leland Frisk, poisoned himself, and then framed Cal Medina for it? Why? Watson: We have no idea. Bell: Once we figured out what your boss had done, we wondered how he got his hands on the same batch of Sciacchetra that Medina had. Medina's place is guarded like a fortress. Didn't seem likely he stole it from there. So we asked Medina where he got his. The cashier at the wine store remembered you stepping up to the counter just minutes after Medina bought his case. You wanted to make sure they gave you the exact same wine they just sold him. Holmes: You were following him. You helped Frisk set up the frame. Bell: Which means you lied to us. Probably about a lot of things. For starters, you obviously knew a lot more about Leland than you let on. And if we're right, it was part of your job to make sure we looked at Medina. So, if you want to help yourself, it's time to start telling the truth. Why did Leland want to frame Medina for his murder? Lennox: That's not what he wanted. At least not at first. What he wanted was for Medina to get arrested for ordering Peter Romano's murder. The thing is Leland didn't kill Romano. He never even worked for Medina at all. Bell: We found a device in Leland's office we're pretty sure was used to kill Romano. Lennox: Looks like an oxygen mask connected to a bicycle pump, right? Leland built that himself a few weeks ago. He wanted you to find it. He knew it would help you think what he wanted you to think. Bell: That Medina hired Leland to kill Romano in 2014 and that Medina killed Leland three nights ago to cover it up? Why did Leland have it out for Medina at all? Holmes: Think I can answer that. Your son suffers from cystic fibrosis. Correction, uh, yours and Leland's son. Lennox: Hayden was diagnosed when he was three, and Leland cared about nothing else. He made sure Hayden had the best doctors. He researched everything. When the cost of the drug went up, he took care of that. But it was hard. Then, a few months ago, he read something online about Peter Romano. Uh, a rumor that Romano had found a less expensive treatment but died before he could publish. I didn't understand why, but to Leland, it seemed suspicious. And somehow he got his hands on the police report from Romano's death. Holmes: He recognized the work of another killer. And he understood implicitly who stood to benefit from the hit, Cal Medina. Lennox: That's when Leland told me what he really did. That he, uh, killed people for money. I couldn't believe it. But then he showed me his files, and...after that, he became obsessed with Medina. He read that Medina's own board hated that they were price gouging. One of the execs who resigned told a reporter that the entire company would stop doing it if Medina was gone. So Leland spent months trying to prove that Medina was guilty, that he paid someone to kill Romano. Holmes: Imagine he would've gone after Medina himself. Bell: But Medina's security was too strong because he'd already received dozens of death threats. Lennox: That's when the FBI happened. One of Leland's former clients called. Uh, an Agent, uh, Kerner, asking about some work that he had done. It seemed that she knew about another job, as well. So, if she found the payments to Leland from both companies... Bell: They'd have him. His time to get Medina was running out. Holmes: So, he couldn't kill Medina, but he could kill himself and frame Medina, and then hopefully achieve the same outcome. Bell: Medina would go to prison, his board would remove him as head of the company, and the drug for your son and other kids like him would become affordable again. Holmes: Well, now that we know what Leland was attempting to do, I wish it had worked. Watson: Marcus called. The D.A. is not gonna press charges against Sherry Lennox. As far as the police and the FBI can tell, she told you the truth. She did not help Frisk commit any murders. What is all this? Holmes: This is Leland Frisk's obsession during the final months of his life. His research on Cal Medina, and the murder of Peter Romano. Sherry let me have all of it. Attendee lists from the convention that Romano was visiting, employee names from the hotel where he was killed, and Medina's phone, banking and credit card records from 2014. Watson: Wow. How'd he get all this? Holmes: Sherry couldn't say. It's possible that a contract killer of Frisk's longevity developed some hacking skills along the way. Or, being well-versed at blackmail, it's possible he compelled someone to help him. Anyway, he was unable to identify Romano's actual killer or prove that Medina ordered the hit. So I thought I might spot something that he missed. Watson: You want some help? I mean, it's not every day we try to help a hit man. Holmes: Well, I was struck by the same thought. Leland Frisk was, without doubt, an evil man, but towards the end of his life, he attempted to do one noble thing, and I, for one, would like to see it done. Watson: Was he being noble? I'm just saying, I mean, getting rid of Medina would have helped a lot of people, but it's possible that Frisk was only thinking of his own son. Holmes: Does it matter? Frisk's insurance files, though abhorrent, do speak to a man who spent decades looking back over one shoulder, never able to shake his past. Never able to forget a single heinous act. It is possible that such a thing could lead a man to take stock. Watson: You expecting someone? Holmes: I invited a guest, in order to put an option in your hands with regards to your attorney. Watson: This is you staying out of it? Holmes: Actually, it is, because the choice of what to do with what I'm about to provide will be entirely yours. Yours and King Wilhelm's. Watson: King who? Holmes: Your Majesty, this is Dr. Joan Watson. Dr. Watson, may I introduce His Majesty Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond Von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein and Hereditary King of Bohemia. Please. Watson: This is an actual king? Holmes: Yes, albeit a king without a kingdom, since Bohemia ceased to exist over a hundred years ago. It's a familial title now, along with some retained wealth, neither of which he would still have were it not for my father. I knew that the king frequently visited New York, uh, thanks to the great many courtesans that he favors here, so I asked for a moment of his time. Watson: And this has to do with Gary? Holmes: Gary, an attorney of questionable character. It will. If I may, I'll get right to it. Are you familiar, Majesty, with the practice of one adult adopting another adult, for the purpose of passing lineage? King Wilhelm: I confess, I am not. Holmes: Forgive me for saying so, but I suspected you might not be. The notion, I believe, is self-explanatory. There are rarely age restrictions placed upon adoption, and so one adult becomes the legal parent of another. It's come to my attention that your son is familiar with this practice. According to my research, Prince Havel has, to date, adopted 18 men and women, for fees of 100,000 euros apiece, in exchange for bestowing your family name upon them. Whilhelm: Really? Holmes: I'm afraid so. As we speak, there are a dozen and a half newly minted dukes and duchesses using their titles to gain entre to some of Europe's most exclusive circles. Watson: And Gary was the attorney who arranged all of those adoptions. Whilhelm: I see. I'd always envied your father his sons, Sherlock. Oh, don't get me wrong. I know things were never easy. But neither you nor your brother was an idiot. My son is an idiot. Very well. I have always relied on the counsel of the Holmeses. I see no reason that today is different. What do you propose I do? Holmes: Well, actually, Your Majesty, I believe that's a question best posed to my partner. Bell: There you are. Agent Kerner said you asked her to meet us both here? Holmes: I did. Thanks for coming. I think what I have in mind will require the assistance of both the NYPD and the FBI. Kerner: What you have in mind? Bell: Give him a minute. It's usually worth it. Holmes: Last night, I had an epiphany. Watson and I were discussing the insurance files that Leland Frisk kept. It occurred to me, the impulse that inspired him to keep those files couldn't be unique. What if other hit men took similar precautions? Bell: Okay, but what are we supposed to do with that epiphany? Holmes: We're gonna finish what Frisk started. We're going to incite a hit on Cal Medina. Bell: Cal Medina. This is Captain Gregson. I called it. Medina: You called what? Bell: Well, it's just, the Captain and I were debating whether you'd show up here with or without a lawyer. He figured you were too smart to talk to the cops by yourself. I said lawyers usually want to keep their clients from talking, so I bet you'd show up without one. I was right. Medina: You think I enjoy the sound of my own voice. I don't disagree. But my lawyer is very good at his job, and so I enjoy listening to his voice, too. And I assure you, he'll be here shortly. Gregson: Listen, before we get too far off on the wrong foot, the reason we brought you here is because we owe you an apology. Our investigation revealed that you didn't kill Leland Frisk and you didn't hire him to kill anyone else. We were wrong about all of that. Medina: Of course you were. Bell: The thing is, that's not the only thing we have to apologize for. We almost got you killed. Medina: Excuse me? Gregson: Uh, follow me. We'll explain. Bell: Any chance you recognize the man facing us? Medina: I do not. Bell: Well, his name is Tad Linsky, and the reason we thought you might know him is 'cause he's the guy you hired to kill Peter Romano in 2014. Now, when we discovered Leland Frisk's body, we also found evidence that he'd taken steps to prevent any of his clients from outing him as a hit man. It occurred to our colleague, Mr. Holmes, that other hit men had to have the same concern. They'd have to keep their ear to the ground, keep tabs on old clients, in case one of them ever decided to give them up. Gregson: So, with the help of the FBI, we leaked word to CIs in every major city and put it out on the Dark Web that you were looking to cut a deal. Made it sound like you were about to give up the name of Romano's killer at any time. Bell: Then we sat back, waited to see who showed up to kill you. We figured we weren't putting you in too much danger. Leland Frisk was one of the best at what he did, and he couldn't figure out how to get a shot at you. Gregson: Sure enough, Mr. Linsky took the bait. Drove all the way from Scranton and started surveilling you. We had our guys pick him up. Bell: When they did, he had a gun in his car that ballistics matched to five unsolved murders. He went for a deal quick. And he's already given you up. Medina: I think I'll wait to speak to my lawyer now. Gregson: About that. The two other people you see in there are from Pittsburgh PD and the FBI. Since you didn't commit the murder that we were investigating you for, it's up to them who gets first crack at you. Bell: Looks like the Feds won. Gregson: We'll let your lawyer know when he gets here that you've been taken into custody. Gary: Joan. I, I wasn't sure I was gonna see you again. Watson: Well, if you play your cards right, after today, you won't. Gary: What's that supposed to mean? Watson: It means that I'm here to talk to you about another client of yours, Prince Havel of Bohemia, and how you've been helping him sell adult adoptions to make money. Watson: According to Bohemian tradition, the passage of title through adoption is not recognized unless explicitly sanctioned by the king. And given how meticulous you insist you are about details, I'm guessing you knew that already. The problem is, the king did not give his sanction. In fact, he was not aware of the adoptions at all. Gary: How the hell would you know what King Wilhelm of Bohemia was or wasn't aware of? Watson: Well, as it happens, he's a friend of a friend. Now, this is a letter to me from King Wilhelm, promising to wait for my call before he decides what to do about this. One way or another, he is going to undo those 18 bogus titles. But there are two ways he can go about it. Gary: "You need only say the word, and I am prepared to disown my son, Prince Havel, as punishment for the disgrace he's brought upon me." Watson: To be fair, I think he was thinking of doing that anyway. Now, if he disowns his son, he automatically disowns all adopted grandchildren, too. Now, that would be the best option for you, because it leaves you out of it. The other option is he keeps his son but rejects all new titles. Now, if he does that, it's a safe bet that all 18 adoptees will sue Prince Havel for fraud. You will be named as codefendant in the lawsuit and buried in legal fees defending yourself. Did you ever even check your notes to see who made those mistakes? So, why don't we do that together now? Watson: I heard on the radio in the cab that Cal Medina was arrested. Holmes: Yes. Thanks to the news, the uh, board of directors has already removed him as CEO. If all goes well, then Sherry Lennox's son and thousands like him might be able to afford their medicine. Watson: So the hit man with a heart of gold got his way. Holmes: He did. Heart of gold or not. How was your attorney? Watson: He called the adoption agency with me right there in the room, and he took full responsibility for all of his mistakes. And then he gracefully bowed out of representing me. Holmes: Was the agency satisfied? Watson: Everything's back on track. They're working with my new lawyer. No lost time, just the appointments I have to make up. What do I smell? Holmes: King Wilhelm sent over a token of his appreciation. It's a traditional Bohemian feast. Larded beef in cream sauce, bread dumplings and braised cabbage, schnitzel, some sort of fried cheese. Watson: Hmm. Some of it sounds good. Holmes: Look I've never felt any pressure from you that I co-parent. But your idea that I take no responsibility in raising your child is naive. It's not that I think you're not capable of raising a child on your own, of course you are, but short of us dissolving our partnership, I'm not capable of not being involved. N-Not as the child's father, but as its mother's friend. I mean, I'd lay down my life for you. So, if you succeed in adopting a child, I'll lay down my life for him or her. It's, it's as simple as that. Watson: Have you thought about what you want to be called by my kid? I mean, assuming I get one. I was thinking "Uncle Sherlock". Holmes: Yeah, well, I've been called worse. I'd also settle for "Detective". Watson: My child is not calling you "Detective." Holmes: Well, "Uncle Detective," then. Category:Transcripts